Dan Sultan and Alexander Gow (Oh Mercy) @ The Basement, Sydney (16/07/2011)
It may have been a chilly Sydney night but the jam packed sold-out Basement crowd was warming up fast and getting ready to be treated to fantastic night of unique Australian talent from two very interesting characters.
Both Alex and Dan came out onstage together and began the night with ‘Release Me’ and it was clear from the opening that having these two sing together is truly magical. Alex’s lilting vocals were just an octave touch or two higher than Dan’s more guttural often vibrato tinged tones whilst their guitar playing were both almost equally matching.
Their second song was awkwardly preceded by Alex and Dan playfully bickering over the politically correct terminology of an Inuit (versus Eskimo) though honestly how they came to that conclusion about Icehouse’s ‘Great Southern Land’ is beyond me. This song is personally my favourite ‘Australiana’ song and is one of a few that truly makes me feel a sense of patriotism and these two more than did the original justice, adding a slight country bluegrass tinge with Dan’s slide guitar work. Their last song together was Oh Mercy’s ‘The Good Life Never Ends’ a brief mournful nostalgic ballad
As Alex bid Dan farewell from the stage, we were forewarned that he was quite poorly and was drinking some magical concoction made by one of the bar staff to alleviate his throat. Though you’d never have picked him for being ill, as Alex’s rendition of an upbeat ‘Hold Out Your Hand’ was preceded by one of the most ridiculously long-winded stories about a particularly good bull. There are interesting shades of indie-pop, blues and alt-rock balladeer drifting in and out of these songs.
Battling on through his set despite having to request his fellow headliner to deliver him medications from the band room, Alex pushed on with ‘My Man’ and a stirring version of ‘Stay Please Stay’ that had the crowd rapturous. He attempted to end his set with a Bruce Springsteen cover that was abruptly ended as his voice almost all gave out on him after two lines into the first verse and we all proudly applauded the little trooper for putting on such a courageous performance.
A good majority of the audience though were in attendance to see the majestic Dan Sultan. Over the last few years his rise has seen his fan-base expand exponentially. Despite his own claims that he’s no great pianist his opening three tracks of his set, Dan performed on the piano, and I can tell you that the man knows how to tinkle the ivories. Picking up his trusty axe he announced he’d now play an instrument he knew he could play and play well and immediately ‘Old Fitzroy’ roared out at us. This song is one that has a genuine blues feel but somehow also feels so distinctly Australian.
‘School Day’s Over’ was written by Paul Dempsey, about a young 12 year old boy who’s instructed by his father that it’s time to stop going to school and start working in the mines. Contrasting against this Irish heritage song was Dan’s own work ‘Roslyn’ which he wrote about his Grandmother who was of the Stolen Generation. Their similarities in narrative were both conveyed in such a soulful and powerful way and a testament to an artist that expresses not just a story but emotions and feelings through that story. It wasn’t all moody and dire though as Dan cranked the loud factor up a few notches with ‘Dingo’ that had the room cheering and toe-tapping along with its country bop feel.
Alex returned to join Dan onstage for a couple more songs and it’s evident from the on-stage banter between songs during both their sets and between these two that they were having an absolute blast together. They complement each other vocally and musically in a surprising way, they are both troubadours of a new age with old fashioned songs to sing and as the night closed with a soaring rendition of Paul Kelly’s ‘To Her Door’ we were all left to ponder how far and how bright these young stars can shine.
Carina Nilma
Both Alex and Dan came out onstage together and began the night with ‘Release Me’ and it was clear from the opening that having these two sing together is truly magical. Alex’s lilting vocals were just an octave touch or two higher than Dan’s more guttural often vibrato tinged tones whilst their guitar playing were both almost equally matching.
Their second song was awkwardly preceded by Alex and Dan playfully bickering over the politically correct terminology of an Inuit (versus Eskimo) though honestly how they came to that conclusion about Icehouse’s ‘Great Southern Land’ is beyond me. This song is personally my favourite ‘Australiana’ song and is one of a few that truly makes me feel a sense of patriotism and these two more than did the original justice, adding a slight country bluegrass tinge with Dan’s slide guitar work. Their last song together was Oh Mercy’s ‘The Good Life Never Ends’ a brief mournful nostalgic ballad
As Alex bid Dan farewell from the stage, we were forewarned that he was quite poorly and was drinking some magical concoction made by one of the bar staff to alleviate his throat. Though you’d never have picked him for being ill, as Alex’s rendition of an upbeat ‘Hold Out Your Hand’ was preceded by one of the most ridiculously long-winded stories about a particularly good bull. There are interesting shades of indie-pop, blues and alt-rock balladeer drifting in and out of these songs.
Battling on through his set despite having to request his fellow headliner to deliver him medications from the band room, Alex pushed on with ‘My Man’ and a stirring version of ‘Stay Please Stay’ that had the crowd rapturous. He attempted to end his set with a Bruce Springsteen cover that was abruptly ended as his voice almost all gave out on him after two lines into the first verse and we all proudly applauded the little trooper for putting on such a courageous performance.
A good majority of the audience though were in attendance to see the majestic Dan Sultan. Over the last few years his rise has seen his fan-base expand exponentially. Despite his own claims that he’s no great pianist his opening three tracks of his set, Dan performed on the piano, and I can tell you that the man knows how to tinkle the ivories. Picking up his trusty axe he announced he’d now play an instrument he knew he could play and play well and immediately ‘Old Fitzroy’ roared out at us. This song is one that has a genuine blues feel but somehow also feels so distinctly Australian.
‘School Day’s Over’ was written by Paul Dempsey, about a young 12 year old boy who’s instructed by his father that it’s time to stop going to school and start working in the mines. Contrasting against this Irish heritage song was Dan’s own work ‘Roslyn’ which he wrote about his Grandmother who was of the Stolen Generation. Their similarities in narrative were both conveyed in such a soulful and powerful way and a testament to an artist that expresses not just a story but emotions and feelings through that story. It wasn’t all moody and dire though as Dan cranked the loud factor up a few notches with ‘Dingo’ that had the room cheering and toe-tapping along with its country bop feel.
Alex returned to join Dan onstage for a couple more songs and it’s evident from the on-stage banter between songs during both their sets and between these two that they were having an absolute blast together. They complement each other vocally and musically in a surprising way, they are both troubadours of a new age with old fashioned songs to sing and as the night closed with a soaring rendition of Paul Kelly’s ‘To Her Door’ we were all left to ponder how far and how bright these young stars can shine.
Carina Nilma